I’m not sure that I believe the narrative that it’s because giving isn’t easy enough as to why the middle classes aren’t as generous as other countries such as the US. That’s the proposition I picked up on during the drive home listening to Radio 2.

So according to those talking the solution is to round up the pound when you pay for something – to give the difference to charity, and allow you to give to charity at a cash machine. Maybe I am just being rather grumpy. When I go to a cash machine I really don’t want to have to say No, I don’t want to give to charity x or y. When I buy something I don’t want to have to say I don’t want my change going to a charity which is not of my choice.

For you see, there are very specific charities I want to support, and it really is quite easy to do so. Any move that makes it closer to having to opt out, rather than opt in, is in essence moving towards a system of tax where you have no choice.

Sorry – I am the best person to decide how I spend my money on, and that includes which charities I choose to support, and lets be honest – it’s hardly hard to donate these days is it.

Following his recent blogpost on the subject of Ken Clarke, and the comments made about rape Roger Helmer MEP has recorded an exclusive podcast for Tory Radio to clarify exactly what he said, he said following intense interest in his original piece.

East Midland l MEP Roger Helmer has created a bit of fuss on the internet following this post, which follows on from the comments made by Ken Clarke early on in the week.

I have little sympathy for much that Ken Clarke says on law and order. I believe prison works and that we shouldn’t go down the path of more tariff reductions for people who plead guilty early. They are guilty. They did the crime, so they shoudl do the time. If the prisons are full… build more. But I digress.

The issue raised by Clarke and Helmer is about rape. Frankly I would also be on the side of “chop their goolies off”, so you can see I am no law and order liberal here.

What the comments on Roger Helmers website often seem to miss if the fact that the law DOES distinguish between different types of rape (rightly or wrongly) as there would not be set guidelines for a judge to offer different tariffs for the crime (and no one disputes any are not crimes) which has been committed.

Now if anyone can tell me that I have got that wrong I would be more than happy to be educated, for some of the comments on this blog are shall we say, less than helpful. Finally I am glad to see so many people want a strong stance on law and order. Rapists and serious criminals to get no sentence reduction for an early guilty plea then! Gets my vote.

Tory Radio is starting to cover some of the more interesting political campaigns which take place, to give the listeners an idea of what is going on in an around Westminster.

This week I interviewed Paul Kershisnik, from an American company called Sorenson Communications. Sorenson provide Video Relay Services (VRS) for Deaf people in the USA, and they are involved in a UK campaign called VRS Today! which is calling for a universal VRS market here. Deaf people use VRS as a hearing person uses the telephone. It allows them to speak in British Sign Language (BSL) via a webcam to an interpreter, who translates the conversation in real time to a hearing person. This is up to five times faster than using text-based relay services, and allows Deaf people to communicate in BSL, which is their first language.

The VRS Today! campaign is calling for an open market in the UK for VRS providers, giving Deaf consumers the choice to access the telecoms services they want. An independent report has already demonstrated a net benefit to the economy of over £500m. To make this happen, Ofcom and DCMS need to create the right conditions for a market to be viable. Over 100 MPs have already backed the campaign.

To find out more about the campaign, and to see how you can help, visit www.vrstoday.com

Listen to our podcast with Paul Kershisnik by clicking the link below.

My ears really hurt from hearing all the moaning and whinging from the Lib Dems following the AV vote. Sorry my sympathy is so tiny an electron microscope just wouldn’t detect it. You were given a referendum no one wanted and shock horror the electorate gave you a result that YOU didn’t want.

Then the Lib Dems had a bid of a bad day at the office, or as one of their own put it, were kicked in the ballot box. Welcome to Governing. It’s different than opposition. Opposition can be fun It’s so much easier to criticise everything, promise more sun, and a land of milk and honey. When in power when you don’t deliver you get kicked – and sometimes hard. That’s democracy. So from being a party in opposition who have been able to milk a role, government isn’t always attractive.

Yes it’s a coalition, but the tail of a dog (sorry I am sure there are more polite terms) who have got 75% of their own manifesto into the coalition really needs to stop whinging. But of course if Huhne and Cable are allowed to be fairly vitriolic in their criticism as members of Government, don’t expect those on the other side to dish it back.